Can you copy-paste yourself to success?
A few days ago I scrolled Reddit. A post on the r/Ghost subreddit popped up – and a pretty common question was asked: what Ghost CMS hosting do people recommend?
Now, running a Ghost CMS hosting service, I usually tend to well...observe. I don't swoop in and say "Hey, check out magicpages.co, I am running it". I hate self-promotion and am a fan of action, rather than words.
My customers love Magic Pages – and usually there is someone who jumps in and recommends my service. As someone looking for Ghost hosting, I'd appreciate that much more than a founder tooting their own horn.
So yeah, I was scrolling that post on Reddit, and among all the usual recommendations, I saw someone promoting a new hosting service they created. Naturally, I am curious. So I check out their website...
Why? Because I love competition. For a niche like Ghost, competition is essential. It forces existing providers – be it hosting providers or theme designers – to always be on top of their game. And that creates a thriving, bustling environment. And environment where end users have choices. Where they can decide what options works best for them – because, realistically, there is not THE BEST option. It always depends. The more options, the better for our eco-system.
But when I opened the website of this new competitor I was a bit...confused. The copy sounded well...vaguely familiar. Well, not just that. Some phrases were direct copies of Magic Pages.
"Simple, fast, reliable Ghost CMS hosting"? Yeah, that's something I put on the Magic Pages landing page around a year ago.
"No credit card required! Upgrade when you're ready." I mean, anybody could say that, right? But if you google that exact phrase (with quotation marks), you will see that this exact phrase, with that exact punctuation, is literally just used by Magic Pages.
"Launching your Ghost CMS site is as simple as clicking a button—no technical skills needed!" - Still something I wrote, even though you changed two words.
And here's the kicker. Compare these two sign up pages:
Ummm...okay?
Adding a fourth bullet point doesn't mean you're not copying. Changing the button text doesn't mean you're not copying. Removing a checkbox doesn't mean you're not copying.
And the icing on top: I had a brief look on their Github and found a literal reference of Magic Pages in their code within 2 minutes of looking. It wasn't anything mission critical or sensitive. But it proves my point: this was absolutely no coincidence.
After seeing all of this, I pointed this out on Reddit. They didn't even deny it. I pointed it out again and asked for a little less copying. They didn't change anything. So, I am writing about it here 🙃
When I opened this page to start writing, one question popped into my head, which ended up in the title: Can you copy-paste yourself to success?
Because let's be honest: I am not the first one that was copied, nor will I be the last. It is part of doing business.
The truth is, Magic Pages' success is not in its copy. It's not in the signup page. It's not even in the pricing.
It's about authenticity, passion, and genuinely caring about your product and your customers. With Magic Pages, I've always aimed to create something real – a hosting service that comes from a place of true understanding and commitment to the Ghost community.
My customers know this. They see the passion behind every detail, every feature, every interaction they have with me. I am not just selling a hosting service, I am building a solution that I truly believe in.
I am absolutely sure that Magic Pages will continue to grow not because of any fancy words I put on a landing page, but because of my actions, my commitment to my customers, and my genuine passion for making Ghost hosting simple, fast, and reliable. (haha, see what I did there)
